THE Queen looked animated as she met Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh.
It was Her Majesty’s first official trip back to Scotland after Prince Philip’s death in April.
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Sturgeon wore a light blue suit as she sat for discussion with the monarch.
Her Royal Highness also spoke with Alison Johnstone MSP, who became presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament after May’s election.
The Queen’s four-day visit will celebrate Scottish culture, achievement and communities.
Her Majesty is leading a Royal charm offensive to convince Scotland to remain in the UK after rumblings of independence with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge playing a supporting role.
She was joined by her grandson Prince William, who is known as the Earl of Strathearn while in Scotland, at engagements on Monday.
Anne, the Princess Royal, will accompany Her Royal Highness at events tomorrow and Thursday.
Yesterday the Queen was introduced to Scotland’s other national drink Irn Bru as she began a four-day visit to Scotland.
She and Prince William were given a tour of AG Barr’s factory in Cumbernauld, where the iconic soft drink is manufactured.
And William was in good spirits as he toured the factory with his grandmother, joking you could “taste the girders” – a reference to the company’s tongue in cheek slogan “Made in Scotland from Girders”.
The royal added: “I’m trying to guess what’s in it but that’s quite hard.
“It’s a closely-guarded secret.”
Prince William visited a shipyard on the Clyde today and earlier today gave a touching speech in which he described how Scotland had a “special place” in his heart.
He explained how Scotland is where he had some of his “happiest memories” and his “saddest”.
It was in Balmoral where the Prince learned of his mother’s death in Paris in 1997 and it was in university in Scotland where he met his wife-to-be Kate Middleton.
The Queen, who has continued with her duties as head of state despite grieving for her late husband, will stay at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, her official residence in Scotland.
The Queen’s poignant return to Scotland, which held many happy memories for the Duke of Edinburgh, comes after his death at the age of 99 on April 9 this year.
Each summer, the Queen and Prince Philip, and various members of their family, would head to Scotland for some down-time away from busy public life in London.
Even the coronavirus pandemic did not stop the couple’s annual retreat to Scotland last year, with the monarch and the duke managing to leave Windsor Castle in August 2020 to make the annual pilgrimage after months in lockdown.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Buckingham Palace emphasised the Queen’s long-standing links to Scotland.
It said: “Tomorrow, The Queen will arrive in Scotland for #RoyalWeek2021 Royal Week, or ‘Holyrood Week’, takes place each Summer as The Queen and Members of the Royal Family undertake visits across Scotland celebrating Scottish culture, achievement and communities.
“Her Majesty is connected to Scotland by ancestry and deeply held affection. As well as spending family Summers at Balmoral Castle, The Queen has visited almost every area of Scotland from the Outer Hebrides to Dumfries, meeting Scots from all walks of life.”
